Sylmar Climbs Closer to Title

Just like that, all was forgiven.

The losses against Grant High last week? Gone.

The tired look Sylmar has been lugging around lately? History.

Even the two home runs that Ivan Hernandez surrendered to Ismael Rangsiyawong could be swept under the grass at North Hollywood High after Sylmar defeated the Huskies, 5-2, in an East Valley League baseball game Monday.

The Spartans looked nothing like the team that lost two to Grant last week by a combined 14-1 score, including a 10-0 drubbing.

The Spartans held a 15-minute meeting after that debacle and took a rare day off practice the next day.

“Just to tone it down, relax, recuperate,” said second baseman Carl Ball, who seemed at ease in the fourth inning when he knocked a change-up by Edgar Pineda over the right-field fence for a two-run homer and 5-0 Sylmar lead.

The mellower Spartans (17-5, 11-2 in league play) are also merrier, now that they are alone atop the East Valley League standings.

The Huskies (13-11-1, 9-2-1) fell to second, but they don’t have to sit and stew for long.

The teams meet again Wednesday at Sylmar in the first of two more games between the teams.

“I just hope we can play the kind of enthused, determined, focused baseball that Sylmar came in here to play today,” North Hollywood Coach George Vranau said.

The Huskies weren’t focused in the third inning.

Center fielder Jose Avila and right fielder Jose Figueroa did not communicate on a fly ball by Edson Gonzales, who ended up at second base when the ball dropped between the outfielders.

The Spartans added three more singles and took advantage of a wild pitch by Pineda (6-5) and an error by first baseman Arnold Vasquez for a 3-0 lead.

If the Huskies play like this Wednesday, the league championship, which they won last season for the first time in 27 years, will go to Sylmar.

“We have to go in there, want it more than them and defend our league title,” Rangsiyawong said.

Other than two solo homers given up to Rangsiyawong, who has 10, Hernandez was sharp, allowing three hits, striking out 10, walking two and hitting one batter in seven innings.

Still, Hernandez (7-2) was relieved when he got Raul Castaneda to end the game on a grounder to second base, stranding runners on second and third and leaving Rangsiyawong in the on-deck circle.

“The last inning was kind of wobbly,” Hernandez said.

But like everything else about Sylmar’s day, he was forgiven.